How Much is a Liquor License in Texas?

A liquor license in Texas costs between $1,100 and $5,300 in state fees, paid to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) for a two-year term. A liquor store pays $1,800, a beer and wine restaurant pays $1,900, and a bar pays $5,300. Local fees, surety bonds, and a required newspaper notice add hundreds to thousands more. The guide below covers every current fee, the right license for your business type, total costs, eligibility requirements, the application steps through AIMS, and what it takes to keep the license once you have it.

Texas Liquor License Costs at a Glance

Every standard retail alcohol permit in Texas falls between $1,100 and $5,300 in state fees for a two-year term. A liquor store pays $1,800 for a Package Store Permit. A bar or full-service restaurant pays $5,300 for a new Mixed Beverage Permit, and that fee drops to $2,650 at every renewal.

TABC charges all license and permit fees on a two-year cycle. You pay the full amount upfront when you apply, then again every two years when you renew.

Here are the current two-year state fees for the most common retail licenses in Texas:

Businesses that make or distribute alcohol pay different fees. A Brewer’s License (BW), Winery Permit (G), and Distiller’s and Rectifier’s Permit (D) each cost $3,000 for two years. A General Distributor’s License (BB) costs $3,500, and a Wholesaler’s Permit (W) costs $4,000. Retailers that want to deliver alcohol directly to customers need a Consumer Delivery Permit (CD), the most expensive license on the schedule at $10,000. The full list of all license categories appears on the TABC permit types page, and every fee amount appears in the official two-year fee schedule published by TABC.

The figures above cover state fees only. Your city or county may charge a separate local fee of up to half the state amount, though Senate Bill 1008, effective September 1, 2025, now blocks local governments from charging that fee to businesses that already pay a local food service or retail food permit fee. Surety bonds, a required newspaper notice, and employee certification add to the total as well. The sections below break down each of those costs.

Texas sits on the affordable end nationally. Compare the table above against the liquor license cost in Florida, where quota licenses trade for six figures, the California liquor license market with its own resale economy, or the liquor license in Oklahoma if you operate across state lines.

Which Texas Liquor License Do You Need?

The license you need depends on three factors: the type of alcohol you sell, whether customers drink it on or off your premises, and whether your location sits in a wet area. Match your business model below before you apply, because choosing the wrong permit either blocks activities you need or costs thousands more than necessary.

Liquor Stores: Package Store Permit (P)

A liquor store in Texas needs a Package Store Permit (P), which costs $1,800 for two years and authorizes the sale of liquor, wine, and beer for off-premises consumption. The permit does not allow customers to drink anything inside the store. The license is one step among many, and our guide on how to open a liquor store covers the rest, from the business plan to the buildout.

Texas law restricts when package stores can sell liquor. Stores must close on Sundays, on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, and liquor sales are limited to 10 a.m. through 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. When Christmas or New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, the store stays closed the following Monday as well. Retailers focused on starting a wine shop without spirits can save $200 with a Wine-Only Package Store Permit (Q) at $1,600.

One new requirement deserves attention before you open. Senate Bill 650 requires every off-premises retailer, package stores included, to scan or electronically read the buyer’s ID during age verification, not just look at it. TABC begins disciplinary enforcement for violations on or after September 1, 2027, so compare POS systems for liquor stores on ID scanning before you buy checkout hardware.

Bars and Full-Service Restaurants: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)

A bar, nightclub, or restaurant serving liquor needs a Mixed Beverage Permit (MB), which costs $5,300 for the first two years and $2,650 at every renewal. The MB permit covers liquor, wine, and beer for on-premises consumption and stands as the most expensive standard retail permit in Texas.

Restaurants that hold an MB permit should add a Food and Beverage Certificate (FB) for $1,100. The FB certificate exempts the business from the conduct surety bond and from posting the red 51% gun warning sign. Operators that serve past midnight in late-hours areas also need a Late Hours Certificate (LH) at $1,100.

Beer and Wine Restaurants: Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer’s Permit (BG)

A restaurant serving only beer and wine needs a Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer’s Permit (BG), which costs $1,900 for two years.

Convenience and Grocery Stores: Off-Premise Permit (BQ)

A convenience store or grocery store selling beer and wine to go needs a Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer’s Off-Premise Permit (BQ), which costs $1,900 for two years. Stores that stock only beer can use the Retail Dealer’s Off-Premise License (BF) at $1,100 instead. Neither permit allows liquor sales, since Texas reserves spirits for package stores, a distinction worth knowing before opening a convenience store built around alcohol revenue.

Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries, and Distributors

A manufacturer pays $3,000 for two years, whether the business holds a Brewer’s License (BW), a Winery Permit (G), or a Distiller’s and Rectifier’s Permit (D). The permit is a small line item next to the full cost of opening a winery or brewery, so budget the operation first and the license second. Distribution costs more: a General Distributor’s License (BB) for malt beverages runs $3,500, and a Wholesaler’s Permit (W) for liquor and wine runs $4,000, the Texas form of the wholesale license that other states issue under different names.

Alcohol Delivery: Who Actually Needs the $10,000 Permit

Retailers do not buy the $10,000 Consumer Delivery Permit (CD). Delivery companies such as DoorDash and Favor hold the CD permit, and they pick up orders from licensed retailers and deliver them to customers. Package stores, wine shops, convenience stores, and restaurants sell the alcohol under their own permits, then hand the order to a CD permit holder for delivery anywhere in the retailer’s county, according to the TABC delivery rules. Restaurants holding both an MB permit and an FB certificate can also deliver alcohol with food orders through their own drivers. Local delivery and carrier shipping follow different rulebooks, and the rules for shipping alcohol across state lines deserve their own read before you promise customers either one.

One Check Before You Apply: Wet or Dry Status

Texas lets each city, county, and justice precinct decide which types of alcohol sales are legal within its borders through local option elections.

Businesses in dry areas can serve members through a Private Club Registration Permit (N) at $2,600, the workaround that keeps restaurants alive in dry counties.

Total Liquor License Cost by Business Type

Total licensing costs in Texas range from about $2,100 for a liquor store to more than $8,000 for a bar, once local fees, bonds, and the mandatory newspaper notice are added to the state fee. Budget from the totals below, not from the TABC schedule alone.

Liquor Store: $2,100 to $3,300

A Texas liquor store pays $1,800 for the Package Store Permit, a city or county alcohol fee of up to $900, a newspaper publication notice of $200 to $500, and $25 to $50 per employee for seller training. Liquor stores rarely qualify for the Senate Bill 1008 local fee exemption because the exemption requires an existing local food service or retail food permit, so plan for the local fee unless your city confirms otherwise. At renewal, the store pays the $1,800 state fee again plus whatever its jurisdiction charges. Set against typical liquor store profitability, licensing is one of the smaller startup line items, far below inventory and buildout.

Convenience or Grocery Store: $2,200 to $3,450

A convenience store selling beer and wine pays $1,900 for the BQ permit, a possible local fee of up to $950, a publication notice of $200 to $500, and seller training per employee.

Beer and Wine Restaurant: $2,300 to $2,800

A restaurant serving only beer and wine pays $1,900 for the BG permit, a conduct bond premium of roughly $200 to $400 per year unless it holds an FB certificate, and a publication notice of $200 to $500. Renewal costs $1,900 flat, and restaurants that pay a local food permit fee owe no separate local alcohol fee under Senate Bill 1008.

Full-Bar Restaurant: $7,200 to $7,500

A restaurant with a full bar pays $5,300 for the MB permit, $1,100 for the FB certificate, a publication notice of $200 to $500, and a mixed beverage tax bond premium of roughly $600 per year required by the Texas Comptroller after the permit is issued. The FB certificate removes the conduct bond requirement. Renewal drops sharply because the MB fee falls to $2,650, putting the second cycle near $3,750 in permit fees plus the recurring bond premium.

Bar or Nightclub: $7,400 to $8,000

A bar pays $5,300 for the MB permit, $1,100 for the Late Hours Certificate to serve past midnight, a conduct bond premium of $200 to $500 per year, the Comptroller’s mixed beverage tax bond premium of roughly $600 per year, and a publication notice of $200 to $500. Bars without an FB certificate carry the full bond load, and the TABC bond requirements double the conduct bond from $5,000 to $10,000 when the premises sits within 1,000 feet of a public school. One break softens the renewal: cities and counties must wait three years before assessing their local fee on mixed beverage permit holders.

Two recurring costs sit outside these totals because they scale with revenue rather than licensing. Mixed beverage permit holders owe the state a 6.7% gross receipts tax plus an 8.25% sales tax on every alcoholic drink sold, detailed on the Comptroller’s mixed beverage tax page. Budget for both from day one, because the Comptroller sizes the tax bond against expected monthly liability.

Costs Beyond the TABC State Fee

Five costs sit on top of the state fee: local government fees, surety bonds, a newspaper publication notice, employee certification, and legal fees if your application draws a protest. Each one arrives at a different point in the process, and two of them arrive after TABC has already issued your license.

City and County Alcohol Fees

Texas cities and counties can charge their own fee for each alcohol license issued inside their boundaries, capped at half the state fee. The bill does not arrive with your application. Counties mail a fee statement after TABC issues or renews the license, and payment is due on receipt. At the application stage itself, local governments can only charge a small administrative processing fee of $5 to $100.

Three rules limit who actually pays. Mixed beverage permit holders get a three-year grace period before a city or county can assess the fee. Since September 1, 2023, jurisdictions with a public health district cannot charge the fee at all under Senate Bill 577. And since September 1, 2025, Senate Bill 1008 blocks the fee for any business that already pays a local food service or retail food permit fee. The list of maximum amounts per license type sits on the local government officials page from TABC. Call your city secretary before budgeting, because practice varies by jurisdiction.

Surety Bonds

Most retail applicants must file a conduct surety bond under Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 11.11 before TABC issues the license. The standard bond is $5,000, and it doubles to $10,000 when the premises sits within 1,000 feet of a public school.

Restaurants holding a Food and Beverage Certificate skip the conduct bond entirely, and bonds are filed online through AIMS during the application.

A second bond surprises many mixed beverage permit holders. After the permit is issued, the Texas Comptroller separately requires a mixed beverage tax bond sized against your expected monthly tax liability, with premiums typically running a few hundred dollars per year. Brewers face the largest requirement on the books at $30,000.

Newspaper Publication Notice

First-time applicants must publish a legal notice in a newspaper circulated in the city or town where the business will operate. Newspapers price the notice by length, and the number of people listed in your management structure drives the length, so expect $200 to $500 and request a quote before filing.

TABC Seller Training

Seller and server certification costs $25 to $50 per employee and stays valid for two years. State law does not require it, but a certified staff gives the business safe harbor protections when an employee sells to a minor or an intoxicated customer, so nearly every operator treats it as mandatory. Approved online courses are listed on the TABC certification page. With the Senate Bill 650 ID scanning mandate enforced from September 1, 2027, train staff on scanner use at the same time.

Legal Fees if Your Application Is Protested

A church, school, or neighbor within the protest radius can contest your application and force a TABC hearing. Legal representation for a contested application runs $1,500 to $5,000, and the delay costs more than the lawyer in lost opening time. The cheapest insurance is location screening before you sign a lease: check the distance to schools, churches, and hospitals, since local ordinances commonly enforce a 300-foot spacing rule and some cities extend the alcohol-free zone around schools to 1,000 feet.

Texas Liquor License Requirements

TABC approves an applicant who is at least 21 years old, has no felony conviction in the past five years, has not violated the Alcoholic Beverage Code in the past two years, has no code violation involving moral turpitude in the past six months, owes no state taxes, and can demonstrate good moral character. The same standards apply to every officer and owner listed on the application, not just the person signing it.

A criminal record does not permanently disqualify you. The felony bar covers the five years before the application, so older convictions pass, though TABC keeps discretion to deny applicants with alcohol-related or drug-related offenses. The full grounds for refusal sit in the Alcoholic Beverage Code and its rules.

Two ownership rules catch applicants who pass every personal test. First, Texas enforces a strict three-tier system that separates manufacturing, distribution, and retail, so an applicant holding any interest in a permit from another tier gets denied. A part-ownership stake in a brewery blocks your liquor store application. Texas runs a license model with private retailers, unlike the alcohol control states where the government sells the liquor itself, and the three-tier wall is the price of that private market. Second, Chapter 22 of the Code bars public corporations from holding a Package Store Permit, the rule that keeps national chains out of Texas spirits retail and reserves the package store market for individuals and privately held companies.

The state requirements are only the first layer. Your city and county add zoning approval, a certificate of occupancy, and their own certification signatures on the application itself, since AIMS requires sign-offs from the city secretary, the county clerk, and the county tax office before TABC processes the file. Local distance ordinances for schools and churches, covered in the protest section above, apply at this stage too. Clear the local layer before paying any state fee, because TABC does not refund an application that fails city certification.

How to Apply for a Liquor License in Texas

You apply for a Texas liquor license online through the Alcohol Industry Management System (AIMS), the TABC portal that handles applications, renewals, payments, and bond filings. TABC issues a new license about 30 to 35 days after receiving a complete application, but local certifications and the 60-day sign requirement push the realistic timeline to 60 to 90 days, so start the process at least three months before your planned opening.

Step 1: Form and Register Your Business

Register your entity with the Texas Secretary of State and obtain a tax account with the Comptroller of Public Accounts before touching the license application. AIMS requires both registrations, and the names must match exactly across all documents, since mismatched entity names rank among the most common reasons TABC kicks an application back.

Step 2: Create an AIMS Account

Set up your account on the AIMS portal, which runs only on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Paper applications still exist, but TABC processes them far slower, so file online unless you have no other option.

Step 3: Secure Local Certifications and Publish Your Notice

Collect certification signatures from your city secretary, county clerk, and county tax office, then publish the legal notice in a locally circulated newspaper. Most new retail applicants must also display the 60-day sign, an outdoor notice of intent to sell alcohol that has to stand at the location for 60 days before TABC will grant the license. The full signage list sits on the TABC sign requirements page.

Step 4: Complete the Application and File Your Bond

Fill out the application in AIMS, upload the conduct surety bond if your permit requires one, attach the publisher’s affidavit from the newspaper, and pay the full two-year fee. AIMS issues a tracking number on submission. Save it, since every status inquiry references that number.

Step 5: Clear the Review and Protest Window

TABC reviews the file, and nearby residents, churches, or schools can protest during this window, which sends the application to a hearing. A clean, complete application with no protest moves to issuance in roughly a month. Track progress through the application status lookup or your AIMS dashboard, which flags missing items before they become denials.

Step 6: Post Your License and Required Signs

Display the issued license at the premises along with every sign your permit type requires, then calendar the renewal date. TABC sends courtesy reminders before the two-year expiration, but the renewal obligation stays on you, and an expired license means a full stop on alcohol sales until it is reinstated.

Renewing and Keeping Your Texas Liquor License

Every Texas liquor license expires two years after its issue date and renews through AIMS at the same fee you paid originally, with one exception: the Mixed Beverage Permit drops from $5,300 to $2,650 at renewal. Renewal instructions live on the TABC renewals page, and your city or county fee, where one applies, renews on the same cycle.

Keeping the license between renewals comes down to three obligations.

Sell Only During Legal Hours

A Mixed Beverage Permit allows sales from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday. Sunday service starts at noon, or at 10 a.m. when the alcohol is served alongside food, and runs to midnight. A Late Hours Certificate extends service to 2 a.m. in areas that allow it, and consumption must stop 15 minutes after closing time. Package store liquor hours, covered earlier, run 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday with no Sunday sales. Local option results can tighten any of these windows, so confirm the hours for your specific address rather than the statewide defaults.

Keep the Required Signs Posted

Beyond the 60-day application sign, license holders display up to four permanent signs, all provided free by TABC: the public information and complaint sign required at every establishment, the health risks warning at the exit of each public restroom, and the red 51% handgun warning and human trafficking signs for businesses without a Food and Beverage Certificate. A missing sign is one of the easiest violations for a TABC auditor to write up and one of the cheapest to prevent.

Report Breaches of the Peace on Deadline

License holders must report serious incidents at the premises to TABC. A shooting, stabbing, murder, or incident causing serious bodily injury must be reported within 24 hours. Lesser incidents carry a five-day deadline, including law enforcement or EMS arriving on-premises, a weapon threat, a firearm discharge, minor injury, or property damage. Reports go through AIMS, by email, or in person at a local office, and the full rules sit on the breaches of peace page. Missed reports put the license itself at risk, not just a fine.

Selling to a minor or an intoxicated customer remains the violation most likely to end a license. Certified staff give the business safe harbor protection, and from September 1, 2027, ID scanning at every off-premises sale stops being optional. Those habits separate struggling shops from owners running a successful liquor store year after year.

After the License: Set Up Your Store for TABC Compliance

A Texas liquor license remains valid only as long as the daily operations behind it remain compliant: age verification on every sale, accurate inventory records, and clean sales data for TABC audits and Comptroller reporting. The Senate Bill 650 mandate makes electronic ID scanning a legal requirement for off-premises sales from September 1, 2027, so the checkout system you choose now decides whether that deadline costs you anything later.

KORONA POS is a liquor store POS system designed specifically for these obligations. The software scans IDs at checkout, manages liquor store inventory down to the case break and the bottle, and produces the sales reports auditors request. KORONA POS is also processor-agnostic, so you can keep whichever payment processor offers your store the best rate, without being locked into one. Schedule a demo to see how it fits a newly licensed Texas store.

FAQs: How Much Is a Liquor License in Texas?

How much is a liquor license in Texas?

A liquor license in Texas costs between $1,100 and $5,300 in state fees for a two-year term. A liquor store pays $1,800, a beer and wine restaurant pays $1,900, and a bar pays $5,300.

How much does a liquor store license cost in Texas?

A Texas liquor store pays $1,800 for a Package Store Permit, which covers beer, wine, and spirits sold to go. Local fees, a newspaper notice, and bonds push the real first-time total to between $2,100 and $3,300.

How long does it take to get a liquor license in Texas?

TABC issues a new license about 30 to 35 days after receiving a complete application. The 60-day sign requirement and local certifications stretch the realistic timeline to 60 to 90 days, so apply three months before opening.

Can I get a one-day liquor license in Texas?

Yes. A Nonprofit Entity Temporary Event Permit costs $50 per day for events lasting two to ten days. Qualifying nonprofits use it to sell, serve, and auction alcohol at fundraisers, festivals, and other temporary events.

How much does it cost to renew a liquor license in Texas?

Most Texas permits renew every two years at the original fee. The Mixed Beverage Permit is the exception and drops from $5,300 to $2,650 at renewal. Local fees and bond premiums renew on the same cycle.

Do I need a surety bond for a Texas liquor license?

Most retail applicants must file a $5,000 conduct surety bond, which doubles to $10,000 within 1,000 feet of a public school. You pay an annual premium of roughly $200 to $500, not the face amount.